THE WILDHEARTS’ GUIDE TO GUITAR PLAYING

Ginger and CJ on how to find your own sound…

Ginger: “If anyone wants the purity of The Wildhearts, I’d say plunder your record collection and rip off all your favourite bits. No one will ever tell if you mix through different styles. A lot of today’s players might have grown up worshipping Guns N’ Roses and Nirvana, so mix Kurt Cobain’s rhythm style with Slash’s lead style… that will sound cool provided you are enough of a fan to make it sound right and not phony. That’s the way to do it, from the heart. I’ve done a few shreddy guitar solos over the years; they’re fun at the time but I’d much rather have a big riff. My 10 year-old boy is learning right now, he wants to go direct to shred and I’ve told him I’ll never teach him that. He has to learn the basics before trying leads. I know shredders who can’t play rhythm properly, they have no pocket and run away from where the bass drum falls… making the drummer sound tired. People forget the importance of developing a strong rhythm style over lead guitar tricks. Remember there’s so much out there to pick and choose from. Don’t box yourself in and limit your musical experience, even as a fan.”

CJ: “We’re all cut and paste musicians, at the end of the day. Someone gave me Eruption and it just didn’t do anything for me; it went straight over my head. I must have been the only teenage guitarist that didn’t like Eddie Van Halen. I’m going to make an Anti-shred t-shirt, with hands flying around a neck with a big no sign. My dad played guitar and I remember asking him if I could get lessons. He said, ‘ Never get lessons because you’ll end up playing just like your teacher!’. I think he was right… come up with your own style by teaching yourself.”